


Reconnection - Christmas with the Sheppards

by StarbucksSue



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 06:58:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2842151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarbucksSue/pseuds/StarbucksSue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John knew he must have been off his game to allow Rodney to talk him into spending Christmas with his brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reconnection - Christmas with the Sheppards

**Author's Note:**

> Written for titan5 for the Sheppard H/C Winter Fic Exchange 2014.  
> With thanks to my wonderful betas rabidfan and selenic76 for their helpful comments, suggestions and general awsomeness.

It was already light when John woke. He’d had a restless night and had finally fallen asleep sometime around 4:00am so it was later than he’d hoped as he slipped into his running gear. It had snowed overnight but he was familiar enough with the grounds surrounding the house to know where it was safe enough to run and the thought of running in the clean, crisp air appealed to him.

Atlantis was stuck on Earth. With Teyla and Ronon back in Pegasus John had slipped into what he was calling a black mood. His friends were more direct. They simply called it depression. He still spent a lot of time with Rodney but not only did he miss Ronon and Teyla, he also worried about them - paperwork and visiting scientists and dignitaries just didn’t do enough to distract him.

Since arriving back on Earth both John and Rodney had kept in sporadic touch with their respective siblings. Jeannie and Dave had surprised their brothers with invitations for Christmas and/or New Year and it had been Rodney’s suggestion that they spend Christmas with John’s family (‘in the hope that they’ll actually have a real turkey, or at least roast meat of some sort’). John had been feeling so depressed by then that he’d just gone along with whatever Rodney suggested.

So Christmas Eve and here he was in his childhood home, a home which seemed alien and yet hauntingly familiar at the same time. He’d brought Rodney along to share Christmas with a brother who seemed more like a stranger, and whose wife and children John had yet to meet. He shook his head, realizing how far off his game he was that he’d let Rodney talk him into it.

Thanks to the snow, which had resulted in delayed flights and unexpected layovers, they’d arrived six hours later than they’d expected. Dave’s wife Charlotte had already been asleep as she had to work the following morning and their two children were spending the night with Charlotte’s parents to give Dave and Charlotte a chance to wrap presents without interruptions. Dave had met them at the door and they’d exchanged a few awkward pleasantries, but despite the vast quantities of coffee they’d consumed they were both exhausted so John had soon asked to be shown to their rooms.

John made his way down the stairs, looking forward to his morning run, hoping not to bump in to anyone on the way out. Luck wasn’t on his side - Dave stepped out of the dining room just as John crossed the hall.

“Morning John,” Dave said and then frowned, “you don’t look like you’ve slept, is everything alright?”

“I’m fine. It just takes a while to adjust to a real bed after military issue.” John explained. It wasn’t completely true, while they had been on Earth Rodney and his team had been able to bring more systems online which had allowed them to open up more of the residential areas. All senior staff had moved to bigger quarters, more like small apartments, and Rodney had acquired real beds for them both, knowing that John wouldn’t bother for himself. It made a good excuse though and one that his brother would understand.

“Are you sure you’re okay,” Dave moved closer, “I thought you were just tired last night but you don’t look well. Are you sick, or injured?”

“I said I’m fine!” John replied a little too sharply. He knew he wasn’t fine, knew that Rodney, Carson and Richard Woolsey had all expressed concern over his moods and loss of weight but he wasn’t going to tell his brother that.

“Have you been in the Middle East, were you injured?” Dave asked anxiously. “Is that why you’re back in the country?”

“Dave, leave it. You’re as bad as Dad. You know I can’t tell you anything about where I’ve been based or what I’ve been doing.” He stopped and took a deep breath, trying to will his anger down. “Dammit, Dave. When I lived at home I always got an interrogation from Dad, now you’re doing the same thing. Can’t you just trust me when I say I’m okay?”

“No because I don’t think you are.” Dave lashed back at him. “Dad was just worried about you, John, Mom wouldn’t like...”

“Don’t you understand,” John’s voice was deadly quiet and he fisted his hands in an effort to cling on to his control, “it’s because Mom wasn’t around that everything went wrong, if she..” He broke off and shook his head in frustration. Trying to explain would be pointless, Dave would never understand. “I’m going for a run.” He turned quickly towards the mudroom and headed out into the pale wintery sunshine.

***

Rodney stopped at the top of the stairs. He couldn’t see the brothers but he could hear their argument and sighed when he heard John walk off, only then did he descend. Dave looked up as he reached the bottom.

“Damn, I suppose you overheard all of that.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair with such a familiar gesture that Rodney almost smiled.

“Yes, most of it.” Rodney replied awkwardly. He felt a little embarrassed at admitting he’d inadvertently eavesdropped but concern for his friend overrode his discomfort. Being a buffer between the brothers was one of the reasons he’d offered to accompany John and it was the least he could do after John had helped him make peace with Jeannie. 

“I’m sorry,” Dave apologized, “this always seems to happen when I try and have a conversation with John, I always manage to say something to upset him. Dad always did the same thing.”

“Hmm,” Rodney hummed thoughtfully. “You know John has never mentioned his mother. In fact, until his father died he never said anything about his family, or his ex-wife, for that matter and we’d been friends for over four years by then.” Rodney frowned. “John keeps his feelings to himself but I always thought that he felt family was important. I was estranged from my sister for years and it was mostly because of John that we’ve reconnected again.” 

Dave looked up, the initial surprise on his face quickly turning to sadness as Rodney finished.

“Our mother died in a car accident when John was twelve.” Dave said softly. “Mom had taken John to football practice and I was doing my homework so Mom took our little brother Peter with her so he didn’t disturb me as it was the housekeeper’s night off. He smiled sadly and took a deep breath. “It was raining pretty hard and on the way back a car ran the lights, the driver tried to stop but aquaplaned and ran straight into Mom’s car. They took Mom to hospital but she died two days later from her injuries. Pete was killed on impact, he was only eight. John’s always blamed himself for their deaths and he never played football again.”

Rodney was shocked, for once not knowing what to say. He’d wondered about John’s mother and now sorrow and concern for his friend flooded through him. Of all the things he thought might have happened he’d never imagined anything like this. 

Dave indicated the wall behind Rodney where a collection of photos was displayed, pointing out one in particular.

“This photo was the last taken of us as a family; they died at the end of January.” Dave had a soft smile on his face as he spoke.

It was a typical Christmas family portrait and they did look happy, Rodney decided, smiling slightly. Dave and Pete looked like their father with their blue eyes, fair hair and stocky build. John was almost the image of his mother; he had her hazel eyes, dark hair and slim figure.

“He takes after his mother.” Rodney commented as he glanced around at the other photos. There were several similar happy portraits of the boys at various ages, all of which had been taken while their mother was still alive and Rodney smiled to himself at one particular photo with a small, unruly haired toddler sitting beaming on his mother’s lap.

“Yes and in more ways than looks.” Dave agreed with an affectionate laugh. “Our mother was always outdoors when she got the chance and she loved riding. We were all taught to ride but John was the only one who shared her passion for riding and fresh air. I was more like my father, I preferred being indoors, studying, reading, or doing crosswords, anything to challenge my brain. My father and I would spend the evenings together while he helped me with my studies and encouraged me to focus on those subjects which would be useful for the business.”

“And I take it John didn’t join in.” It was more a statement than a question because Rodney knew John well enough to guess what had happened. He could picture a young John, feeling guilty and probably traumatized, desperate for his father’s attention and absolution but not knowing how or where he fit into the new family dynamic.

“John didn’t spend any longer than he had to on his homework. As soon as he was done he’d be out of the door. He and Mom would ride every evening they could.” Dave stopped with a frown. “You know I think I understand what John meant. After Mom died things were almost normal for us, Dad would work and I went to school but in the evenings we carried on as we always had. For John, his whole world had turned upside down and then Dad sent him to boarding school. Shit,” he turned and stared out of the window, scrubbing his hand over his head, “no wonder he thought Dad didn’t want him, that we didn’t care.” He dropped into a nearby chair with a groan.

“I’m going after him,” Rodney exclaimed, any thoughts of breakfast forgotten in his concern for John, “even I should be able to track him in the snow, it’s not falling heavily enough now to cover his tracks.”

He turned and made his way to the mudroom where they’d left their shoes and coats the previous day, quickly dressing and making his way outside. As he’d guessed, John’s tracks were easy to follow in the newly fallen snow and it didn’t take him long to get to the edge of the wood.

***

“McKay, over here.” Rodney turned at the weak shout, it took him a minute to spot John on the ground, one sneaker off and his foot buried in snow.

“Is there anywhere you don’t find trouble?” He groused, a little more sympathetically than he would normally be. 

“Yeah, well I didn’t intend to trip over a loose root and twist my ankle.” John bit back sarcastically. “I was going to give it a few minutes longer and then see if I could put my weight on it.” 

Rodney rolled his eyes, treading carefully in the snow as he made his way over.

“Seeing as most of this fell overnight didn’t you think that there might be hidden objects under the snow? Going running in this was asking for trouble but then why am I not surprised.”

He crouched down and gently swept the snow off John’s ankle, pulling the sock back on the freezing appendage and picking up the sneaker.

“Come on, let’s get you up and back to the house before you freeze your ass off.” Rodney reached out and John took his hand so Rodney could pull him to his good foot, bracing him carefully and pulling John’s arm around his shoulder so he didn’t have to put the injured foot to the ground. “Did you really think this was a sensible idea?” Rodney puffed as he took John’s weight and they started walking carefully back to the house.

“Yeah, well I had intended to take a gentle jog around the buildings, I was hoping to get out before anyone else woke but I didn’t get up early enough and ran into Dave.” John confessed.

“Yes, so I heard.” Rodney frowned in concentration as he mulled over his next words. “I’m sorry about what happened to your Mom and brother, it explains a lot.” He took a deep breath. “You do know that it really wasn’t your fault, I mean, you always like to take on the guilt of the world and believe you’re responsible for everyone but there was really nothing you could have done.”

“McKay!” John interrupted. “It was a long time ago, it isn’t relevant.”

Rodney stopped walking and raised his eyebrows as he looked sideways at John.

“Really? Well it doesn’t seem like that from the conversation I overheard, or the one I had with Dave afterwards.”

“Damn,” John cursed as they started walking again, “do we have to talk about this now?”

“What, while you’re a captive audience?” Rodney replied. “It seems like the perfect time to me, you can’t run away like you did from Dave. Oh, and if it’s any consolation, he’s realized what you meant. For him things didn’t change so much after you lost your Mom, he’s only just admitted to himself the impact it must have had on you.”

He watched John surreptitiously, seeing him bite his lip and look away.

“Look, this isn’t really my business but you should talk to your brother, I think he sees things with a different perspective now.” Rodney said softly just before he guided John through the back door and into the mudroom.

***

Dave rushed in just as Rodney was removing John’s other sneaker.

“What happened?” He asked anxiously. “You should have shouted, I would have come and helped.”

“It’s just a sprained ankle. I’ve had a lot worse, believe me.” 

“Yes and I’m used to dragging his sorry ass around. He’s actually heavier than you’d think from that skinny frame.” Rodney countered. “Right now what he needs is a hot shower and then to rest his ankle.”

“You’re sure it’s not broken?” Dave asked doubtfully.

“Sadly I’m well experienced in sprained versus broken and this is just a sprain.” Rodney muttered as he pulled John to his feet. “It would make it easier if you could help us up the stairs though.”

“I can do one better than that.” Dave grinned in return as they eased John out into the hallway. “We had a stairlift installed on the back stairs a couple of years ago for Dad, it’ll be a lot easier than trying to manhandle him up the steps. So, what kind of situations do you guys get yourself in that Rodney has to rescue you?” Dave asked with amusement.

“Dave you know I can’t tell you anything about our mission.”

“Well, that’s not exactly true.” Rodney countered. “Basically, we’re mostly a science oriented mission based in pretty unfriendly territory. Some of our scientists stay on base the majority of the time but some of us are...kind of explorers, I suppose. We go out in small teams of one scientist to three military escorts. If we find something that needs examining or researching on site we put several teams together and add some of the scientists who usually stay on base.”

“So it’s in a dangerous area?” Dave frowned as they turned down a short passageway at the end of the hall.

“Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no,” Rodney grimaced as John glared at him, “there’s no one specific enemy but they move around and you can never really be sure from one day to the next whether you’re going to run into any of them. John’s kept me alive for over five years though and, in return, I’ve saved his life a few times too, it works both ways.”

They sat John on the stairlift and Dave climbed the stairs to wait for John at the top as Rodney followed the lift up. They each took one of John’s arms and supported him as they walked back to his room.

“Do you need a hand with anything?” Dave hesitated.

“No, it’s okay, been here done this before,” Rodney replied with a grin. “When you spend so much time with the military privacy is a luxury not a given.”

John rolled his eyes and Dave grinned awkwardly.

“I’ll leave you in Rodney’s capable hands then. Come downstairs when you’re done, it’s getting a little late for breakfast but I’ll get Sarah to rustle up some brunch. We’ll serve it in the family room, you’ll be more comfortable there.”

“Thanks, Dave.” John looked over at his brother, genuinely grateful now; the anger from the argument had long since bled away.

“Okay,” Rodney tugged at John’s sweatshirt, “let’s get you showered, warmed up and feeling more human.”

***

Two hours later John was dozing on the sofa in the family room, his ankle expertly strapped and elevated on the matching footrest and his stomach comfortably full from the temping brunch the housekeeper had served up. He finally allowed himself to recall memories of Christmases past in happier times, when both his parents and brothers were alive. Rodney sat beside him, running a simulation on his tablet, his steady companionship anchoring John to the present.

John opened his eyes as Dave walked into the room.

“Hey,” Dave greeted them with a smile, “are you ready to meet your niece and nephew. I’m afraid they’re probably completely hyper after staying overnight with their grandparents, add to that the excitement of meeting their uncle and I can’t promise a peaceful afternoon.”

“That’s okay,” John replied with a lazy grin, “Rodney loves kids.”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, because I’m so good with them.” He replied sarcastically.

“Oh come on, Rodney, look how long you took making sure we picked out just the right presents for them and for Madison.” John smiled at the memory of following Rodney round the store as he perused and compared all the toys which were supposedly suitable for the children’s’ respective age groups. By the time Rodney was satisfied with their choices two hours had passed and they’d caught the attention of one of the store’s security guards who thought he was watching them unobtrusively, until John had grinned and waved in his direction.

“Well there’s so much rubbish out there for kids, they need to have toys that are educational and which open their eyes and minds to science, too many kids these days spend all their time on cellphones, tablets or computers.”

“Like you don’t.” John replied with a grin.

“Daddy!” A voice called from the hallway.

“In the family room, Livvy.” Dave replied.

John felt a prickle of apprehension. He loved kids and never had an issue relating to them, but he was enjoying the new-found closeness with Dave and he suddenly realized how important it was that his niece and nephew liked him.

A moment later two fair haired children burst into the room, followed by a tall, graceful red-haired woman.

“Olivia, James, this is your Uncle John and his friend Rodney.” Dave said with a proud grin.

“Hi Uncle John.” Eight year old Livvy bounced across the room to hug John with no hint of shyness. “You’re hurt already. You only got here last night!” She exclaimed with a pout as she released him.

“Hi Livvy. Yes, I went running and tripped on a tree root.”

“That was silly, Mommy always says to be careful in the snow ‘cause you can’t see what’s underneath.” She turned to Rodney with a beaming smile. “Hi Uncle Rodney. It’s okay if I call you Uncle Rodney isn’t it? It’s what I usually call Mommy and Daddy’s friends.”

John laughed at Rodney’s look of mock horror as Livvy flung herself at him for a hug, giggling at the face he was pulling.

“Yes, yes. Uncle Rodney is fine.” He replied. “Uncle Rodney is also having trouble breathing.” He squeaked as Livvy hugged him hard.

Six year old James was a little more reticent, he looked between John and Rodney, giving them a little wave, but stayed close to his father.

“Hi, it’s so good to meet you at last John,” Charlotte smiled as she crossed the room to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ve heard so much about you over the years from both Dave and Patrick. Welcome Rodney, I hope you won’t find the kids too boisterous over the holiday.”

“Oh, I’m used to kids, believe me.” Rodney replied. “I have a seven year old niece, thanks to my sister. We’re stopping off to visit them over New Year and making the most of being back in the country, we don’t get the opportunity very often.” He finished vaguely.

John allowed himself to relax as the conversation flowed around him, enjoying seeing Dave happy with his family. He knew that he and Dave would have to talk eventually, but at least he had a reprieve for now.

*** 

John’s luck ran out around 8:00pm when Charlotte announced that it was bedtime for the two children. James was so tired that he made no protest but Olivia was caught between wanting to stay up with her new uncles and going to bed to make Santa come sooner. Eventually the goodnights were done and the children followed Charlotte out of the room.

“I’m going to have a drink, can I interested either of you in a glass, or are you on painkillers?” Dave asked when the noise died down as the children left.

“I took a couple earlier but I could use a one now especially if we’re going to have the conversation I think we are.” John half joked.

“Oh, I can go if you two want to talk.” Rodney started to get up thinking they’d want to have a private discussion.

“No,” John said sharply, “stay.” He took a deep breath and continued more softly. “It’s okay to stay, Rodney, there’s not much else that you don’t know about me by now.”

Rodney sat down again.

“In that case, I won’t say no.” He turned to Dave as he spoke, surprised at the relief on Dave’s face. “It seemed to Rodney that neither Sheppard wanted to face the other alone. He just hoped that whatever was said didn’t destroy the tentative relationship the brothers had been developing since John’s accident.

Dave soon returned with their drinks and sat down in the chair closest to the sofa. John immediately took a large slug of whisky, needing to take the edge off his nerves.

“I owe you an apology, John.” Dave started. “It wasn’t until we spoke this morning and the conversation I had with Rodney afterwards that I realized how unfair both Dad and I were to you when Mom died.” He twisted the glass in his hands, staring deep into the contents, before looking back up at John. “Dad and I always had stuff in common, just like you and Mom did. When she died we still had that. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t that we didn’t care about Mom or Pete. Dad was distraught losing both his wife and child, I was upset about losing them both too, but it didn’t change the relationship we had with each other and I just don’t think we really appreciated everything you were going through.”

John looked down into his own glass, not really wanting to remember that time but needing to think back and look at it from his father and brother’s perspectives. He was silent for a moment but then nodded.

“I was confused and hurt. Upset about Mom and Pete. I guess I thought that things between you and Dad would change, that Dad would find something to share with me but I just could never do anything right, never do anything to please him.” John confessed softly.

“It wasn’t you, John.” Dave admitted. “Dad didn’t know how to relate to you, he admitted that before he died. He was sorry he didn’t take the time to find something the two of you could share too. As you grew older, he could see you drifting away from us, away from a future in the business and when you joined the Air Force he was scared, he was so afraid of losing you that in the end he pushed you away.”

“I could have tried harder, too.” John sighed. “When I married Nancy I thought I’d finally done something right - dad liked her and she liked him - the trouble was I think I picked her because I thought he would like her. I’m not sure if I really loved her or just the idea of her and settling down and having a family. That’s part of why it didn’t last, that and the fact that she couldn’t stand not knowing where I was or when, or if, I was coming home. Dad was mad when he found out we were divorcing, he told me not to come home again until I could do something he wasn’t ashamed of.” He broke off and drained the rest of his whisky. “I gave up, didn’t bother to come home again. I thought that after Afghanistan he wouldn’t want to know me.” John’s voice wobbled at the end and Rodney reached out and squeezed his wrist, offering his silent support, which didn’t go unnoticed by Dave.

“When you first joined the Air Force he was angry because he couldn’t protect you.” Dave sighed. “He wanted you to be safe; he thought you were doing it to spite him, he didn’t stop and think of your happiness, that it was something you really wanted. He was proud of you though, that you were serving your country.” He looked from Rodney back to John. “I’m proud of you too, John. I admit it is frustrating not knowing where you are or what you’re doing, but I know it’s important to you and for our country. I’m glad you’re here now.”

John stared into his glass, emotions roiling within him. Rodney’s hand brushed up against his arm and, once again, he was thankful for his friend’s support. Even now Rodney had changed the subject realizing things had become too emotionally charged for John and was having a conversation with Dave. John closed his eyes and concentrated on Rodney’s voice, once again anchoring him to the present.

By the time Charlotte came back down they were chatting and laughing over recent news events. Eventually, it was time to put out the children’s stockings and put the remaining presents under the tree. Charlotte came in with eggnog and cookies which made the perfect finish to what had turned out to be a very happy evening. As Rodney helped him back to his bedroom John thought he would actually be able to get a good night’s sleep.

*** 

“Wake up Uncle John, Santa came.”

John rolled over carefully as James tugged on his arm.

“Come on, it’s Christmas Day and time to get up.”

“Okay, James. I’m up.” John grinned at the small boy’s enthusiasm as he rolled carefully out of bed, mindful of his ankle. “Is Uncle Rodney awake?”

“Livvy’s waking Uncle Rodney up and Mommy’s gone down to make coffee.” The small boy bounded back to the door as John got cautiously to his feet.

Rodney appeared in the doorway a moment later, Livvy hanging onto his arm.

“Oh, you are up. How’s your ankle?” Rodney asked. “Do you need a hand or can you walk on it.”

“I think I’m okay, I can put my weight on it.” John replied.

“Good, then come on and let’s see what Santa brought.” Livvy tugged on Rodney’s arm as he waited for John to join him and they made their way downstairs together.

Two hours later, with presents out of the way, the adults dispersed to shower and dress before they shared a leisurely breakfast in the family room so the children could carry on playing with their new toys. Needless to say, the science kits Rodney had chosen were a big hit and John felt an overwhelming pride as well as amusement in seeing Rodney in his element sitting in the middle of the floor with the children after they asked him to help them test the kits out. 

Despite having known Rodney for so many years, it still surprised John how much patience Rodney had when confronted by children who were genuinely curious and eager to learn. It had been the same with Madison at Thanksgiving, when they’d spent the holiday with Jeannie and Kaleb, Rodney had insisted on buying Madison a kit with simple physics experiments and uncle and niece had spent almost the whole weekend engrossed. It was the same with Livvy and James now, fascinated by the simple science experiments they hung onto Rodney’s every word as he explained it all in language they could easily understand.

Eventually, it was time to get ready for Mass. Although John told Rodney that he didn’t have to attend Rodney decided out of courtesy to his hosts that he would join them, after promising John to keep his opinions to himself! In the end, he admitted to enjoying seeing the children having fun as they acted out the simple nativity scene and, despite himself, he did get caught up with the magic of the season, which included making snow angels with Livvy and James on their return from Mass. John didn’t think he’d ever seen Rodney laugh so much and was delighted to see the usually harassed and overworked scientist carefree and having so much fun.

Charlotte’s parents joined them for Mass and her sister, husband and three children arrived soon after for a light brunch to keep them going until the main event. The turkey had been cooking since early morning and by lunchtime a delicious smell permeated the house. After brunch, the women disappeared into the kitchen while the men ‘supervised’ the children in the family room, by which time they were on to round two of present opening.

“We need to build a snowman.” Livvy decided after they’d finished opening the presents. “Can we Daddy?”

Dave rolled his eyes.

“Okay then,” he agreed, “everyone go and get wrapped up warm.” The children rushed off cheering and Dave laughed as he turned to John.

“I’ll get one of the garden chairs out, you can sit and supervise.” He turned to Rodney. “I guess you’ll tell us there’s physics involved in building a snowman?”

Rodney laughed as he rose to his feet and helped John up.

“Very simple physics, providing you want the head to stay on the snowman.” Rodney agreed with a laugh as they followed Dave out of the room.

***

John smiled to himself as he sat and watched the scene in front of him. The children had decided to build a snow family. Rodney and Dave were helping Livvy and James and Charlotte’s father and brother-in-law were helping the others.

As he sat watching John realized that it had been a very long time since he’d felt so relaxed and comfortable in his brother’s presence. He laughed as he watched Rodney dodge a snowball and a wave of affection spread through him for the people in front of him. He was relishing in the new-found closeness with his brother and already adored his niece and nephew and he knew he had Rodney to thank. His eyes followed his friend as Rodney darted around the snowman and tackled a giggling Livvy to the ground. 

John allowed memories of childhood winters to drift through his thoughts, of him Dave and Pete out in the snow building snowmen and having snowball fights. Of their father running around chasing them and their mother coming out with hot mugs of cocoa and he felt a sudden pang of regret for all the years he’d lost with his father.

Somehow sensing his melancholy, Rodney launched a snowball at him, effectively bringing him back to the present, which led to both John and all of the children launching snowballs at Rodney and just like that John’s mood lifted. It was one more thing he had to thank Rodney for.

By the time they trooped back inside everyone was hungry and it was time to clean up for dinner.

Much to Rodney’s delight, there was roast turkey and ham, both dishes served with all the trimmings that anyone could ever wish for. John couldn’t help but smile at Rodney’s genuine appreciation for the cooks and the food. By the time they finished dessert everyone was pleasantly full and they retired back to the family room for coffee and mints while the children tired themselves out with their toys. Surrounded by his best friend and his family, John realized he was utterly content.


End file.
